A majority of those who attended a community meeting on road safety last Wednesday night agreed drivers, not their cars, are to blame for a recent rash of deadly wrecks.
The issue was raised by Cayman Islands Road Safety Advisory Committee chairperson Aileen Samuel who said her group had received numerous calls in recent weeks claiming ‘Honda Civics are killing our young men.’
Statistics from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service show 19 accidents have claimed 22 lives on island roads since January 2005. Honda Civics were involved in four of those wrecks. Honda Integras were involved in three.
Attendees at last week’s gathering were mostly local racing enthusiasts, or those who have a financial stake in that industry.
‘These cars are not evil…they are sold worldwide,’ said Karyll Iton.
Tony Williams, owner of Tony’s Toys auto dealership in George Town, said he often gets blamed by parents when their children are involved in accidents with vehicles they bought at his shop.
‘Young people come in with their parents to buy the car. Who makes the decision on what to buy?…The kid, not the parent,’ said Mr. Williams. ‘They buy the car, they drive the car off, the child is dead, and then they call me and say ‘what did I do?”
But others at the meeting argued certain makes of cars on Cayman Islands roads are less safe than others.
‘Some of these cars which come in from Japan, the cars are very poorly built, metal-wise, compared to American cars,’ said Rohelio Wright.
The government is considering stricter regulations on certain imported vehicles which include reviewing safety standards and checking the vehicle’s year of manufacture.
Also, depending on what Cabinet decides, inspectors may be given the ability to fail vehicles which are modified from original manufacturer’s specifications.
Driver education
Some involved in the racing business in Cayman were critical of the government for its approach in educating young people about the responsibilities of driving.
‘They (young people) don’t want to hear from the police, they switch off,’ said Billy Ebanks of the Cayman Hotrod Association. ‘As far as they’re concerned, the police are totally against them.’
It was suggested at last week’s meeting that folks who race cars locally should attend some of the discussions held in public schools on road safety.
‘A lot of kids have access to vehicles that are beyond their capacity to drive,’ said Mr. Iton.
Mr. Williams added that some teen drivers simply lack respect for the power of the vehicles they’re trying to operate.
Education Minister Alden McLaughlin has vowed to create a driver’s education course in public schools, though no specific time frame has been given for when that course will be available.
A separate graduated licencing programme for young drivers is expected to be implemented in July.
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